SCIENCE TODAY
WITH DR. TAREQ NABHAN
The Field of Vision:
A Look at Three Cutting Edge Topics in Eye Science
For humans, like many animals, vision is one of the primary ways of allowing us to interact with the world, making it important to maintain healthy, functional eyes. But for scientists and researchers, the human eye can also provide a unique look inside the human body in some surprising ways. Dr. Tareq Nabhan, an optometrist and faculty member in the College of Optometry at the University of Missouri– St. Louis (UMSL), has over 10 years of experience in education, research and telehealth solutions in the field of vision. Recently, Dr. Nabhan shared three examples of cutting-edge research and technology showing that, while the eye may be a window to the world, it can also give us insight into so much more.
2
Eyeglass solutions can help slow the progression of myopia. The glasses shown here include lenses from French-based ophthalmic optics company Essilor International, where the concentric rings of lenslets help adjust peripheral retinal focus. Photo courtesy of Wenzhou Medical University.
1
Myopia Estimates indicate that by 2050 nearly 50% of the world’s population will be nearsighted, shares Dr. Nabhan. Although the issue is multi-factored and still not fully understood, evidence suggests that prolonged near-work activities (looking closely at a computer or smartphone screen, for example) and reduced time outdoors have contributed to the rise in myopia, also known as nearsightedness. “Although several solutions are available to help slow the progression of myopia,” Dr. Nabhan says, “there are challenges with young children wearing contact lenses and/or taking eye drops to try to control myopia due to ocular and systemic side effects that can include discomfort, pain, infection risk, blurred vision and costs,” as well as additional challenges with treatment compliance.
Retinal Biomarkers Another hot topic in eye care, according to Dr. Nabhan, is being able to identify signs of disease in other parts of the human body using biomarkers, or substances in an organism that indicate the presence of a disease or infection, by evaluating the eye. These ocular biomarkers could then help doctors better diagnose and treat patients through more individualized precision medicine. “Very recently, researchers claim to have identified biomarkers in the retina that may be predictive of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk prior to clinical signs or symptoms,” he says. “Since the retina is considered brain tissue, it’s reasonable to include retinal evaluation in matters that affect the brain.” Dr. Nabhan notes that with advances in the resolution of retinal cameras, the size of the retinal image area captured by single scans and the ubiquity of these solutions in primary eye care spaces, researchers have large amounts of data which can be used to train algorithms to aid in evaluating and assigning risks associated with neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
Given that eyeglasses are usually very well tolerated by children, however, researchers have developed eyeglass solutions that have been shown to actually slow myopia progression comparable to other interventions. In fact, over the past 4–5 years, researchers in Asia and Europe have created and validated spectacles that continue to show the benefits of eyeglass solutions in controlling myopia progression. “These solutions should become available in the U.S. soon,” Dr. Nabhan says, “and should more conveniently become part of every eye doctor’s offerings to their patients.”
Examples of retinal images being evaluated to identify potential biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease risk.